I love the feel of this luminous loft conversion in Mantova by architect Daniel Balzanelli. Apart from the great sense of serenity, the thing that caught my eye was the kitchen. In particular the way it is so deliberately and thoroughly screened from the rest of the space. Something of a breath of fresh air really.
For a while now I have been dubious of the almost universal embrace of open plan living in modern design. Kitchens so glossy and pristine at the photo shoot can quickly lose their edge once cooking (and living) starts in earnest. It reminds me of the rush to open plan workspaces of the last couple of decades in office planning – positive in many respects, but not always the best fit for all of the users all of the time.